


A Nightmare From The Past

by River_Nix



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Awkward character relationship, Enemies, F/F, Grief, Making Up, Murder, Psychotic Behavior
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2019-07-25 19:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16204445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/River_Nix/pseuds/River_Nix
Summary: Enoch McCarthy is a troubled detective who's focus is solely on catching his arch nemesis: Alex Peterson. Also known as the notorious serial killer, Edge, due to the way he kills. He kidnaps a target, then releases them into a place he calls his hunting ground, before chasing, killing them, and branding them.Jadyn Portman, Enoch's partner and ex friend, is left in the dark before encountering Edge himself. What's revealed to him shocks him and makes him question who's hunting who.A detective is hunting a killer while his partner is hunting for answers.





	1. Chapter 1

Character Bios: Murder AU

  * Enoch McCarthy: Main character, lead detective 



Enoch is 30 years old with dark brown eyes, pale skin, and oak brown hair. He stands at around 6’1” with a fit, but scarred body. 

  * Jadyn Portman: Second main character, Enoch’s partner



Jadyn is 31 years old with blue eyes, beige skin, and dark brown hair. He stands at 5’10” with an athletic, lean build. He has some scars, but not as many as Enoch. 

  * Alex Peterson: Enoch’s arch nemesis 



Alex is 33 years old with black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. He stands at 6’2” and, like Enoch, has a fit body. He’s also got a scar across his left eye, courtesy of Enoch. 

  * Leah Cameron: The agency main doctor



Leah is also 31 years old with blue eyes, black hair, and tan skin. She stands at 6ft with a few scars here and there from accidents that occured in the medbay. 

  * Claire Mullard: Leah’s girlfriend (only briefly mentioned) 



Claire is about 29 years old with dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. She stands at 5’10” with freckles scattering over the skin of her back. 

  * Carl McCarthy: Enoch’s older brother and Alex’s first victim



Carl was 25 years old and 5’8” before he was killed. He has light brown hair, green eyes, and white skin.

  * Kellen Corvan: Enoch’s best friend and Alex’s second victim



Kellen was 26 years old and 5’9” before he was killed. He has blond hair, green eyes, and tan skin. 

  * Edward Bronco: Chief detective 



Edward is 55 years old with tan skin, brown eyes, and brown hair. He stands at 5’11” and looks younger than he actually is. 


	2. Prologue

Alex Peterson, also known Edge, has been a serial killer from the prime age of 20. As a young child, he was manipulative and fond of games where he got to chase people. To anyone watching him, these weren’t exactly things that should set off alarm. After all, he was just a little boy, playing around and enjoying life. The alarm came when Alex started to live for these chasing games. Years would pass and he would continue to chase his friends around, tackling them roughly by the time Middle School rolled around. It got worse in High School, he would tackle his friends and squeeze them tightly when they requested to be released, almost to the point where they couldn’t breathe. 

 

Through college, his main focus of study was human anatomy with a minor in studies of predatory animals. Around him, people noticed noticed very little. They saw him getting a bit creepier, a bit more aggressive, but not much else. So there was little worry about what Alex would do later in his life. However, that worry increased when he was found to be stalking one of his teachers. What horrified everyone was when Alex was questioned about his behavior, he simply responded with: “I like to hunt things, so I hunted Mr. Mitchell.” 

 

By now, everyone had figured out that something was wrong. Unfortunately, everyone except Alex, who was confused on why everyone was reacting the way he was. No matter what people said or did, this didn’t change. Alex never realized what he was doing wrong, never acknowledge that what he enjoyed doing was not socially accepted. Only when he went too far did it finally click. Only after embracing the thrill of seeing a dead body did classify himself different from the rest of the world. At this realization, he let go of any rational thought and let his impulses control him. 

 

The first murder committed was that of a young adult, Jasmine Grey. She was 23 years old, female, and general outgoing girl who worked as one of the nurses at the college. Her disappearance sparked much concern around the community until her body was found, a week later after her disappearance, in the college dumpster. The autopsy report showed that the cause of death was a quick slit to the throat, even though her body was covered in various sizes of bruises and cuts. None of those injuries proved to be fatal. 

 

While everyone mourned and grieved, Alex was plotting his next murder. As he formulated his plan, he considered the following: who he would hunt, how would he nab them without being noticed, and where he would put the body afterwards. Alex was truly the definition of insane. He wasn’t afraid of leaving the bodies places where people would see them, he preferred it. He was proud of what he was doing and wanted to share his passion with the rest of his community. 

 

Years had passed by until Alex had met his match, the one who got away. It had started like it usually did: he pinpointed his victim, he kidnapped them, then he set them out so he could hunt them. Only, instead of being able to successfully kill off his prey, he ended up having to fight for his own life. Enoch McCarthy had seemed like an easy kill at first glance. He was around 25 years old, fit but thin, and an outcast. Easy prey, in Alex’s eyes. However, when the hunt began, Alex realized how much he overestimated himself and how much he underestimated Enoch. 

 

As an outcast, Enoch had a tough outer shell. He’d had a history of defending 

himself from mental and physical abuse from his peers. So he was no stranger to people like Alex. He knew how to defend himself in every way. Alex learned this the hard way, limping back home with his pride stomped on and his face scarred. This is where their rivalry originated. 

 

Now identified as the killer, Alex has lost his interest in being sneaky. Now, he’s more bold. And the person he goes after first? Anyone remotely close to Enoch McCarthy. The first one to go is Kellen Corvan, Enoch’s best friend since third grade. Alex made it clear that Kellen wouldn’t be the only one that Enoch would lose. Lost in paranoia, Enoch joined the police academy and trained to become stronger so he could protect his older brother. Unfortunately, Alex got to Carl before Enoch could fully complete his training. 

 

With the shock from the loss of his older brother and best friend, Enoch pushes his only other friend away: Jadyn Portman. Jadyn and Enoch had met in class during Enoch’s educational time there. Jadyn had been his unofficial partner, as both of them had ended up excelling quickly in there classes. As time went on, Jadyn managed to nudge his way into Enoch’s life. However, before Enoch could allow himself to truly embrace having a friend again, Carl was killed. This caused him close himself off from relationships. 

 

Older and more experienced, Jadyn and Enoch still continue to work at the same agency. Although, it’s hardly enjoyed, at least on Jadyn’s part. No one told him why Enoch suddenly stopped talking to him. No one told him why Enoch suddenly cut him off. When he attempted to get that answer from said person, all he received was a lot of yelling, cursing, and a full view of Enoch’s back as his ex friend stormed out of the room. To this day, Jadyn’s left wondering. But what he finds out is something he couldn't of prepared for. 


	3. Chapter 1

**Jadyn POV:**

I sigh as I run my hands through my hair and look down at the various murder reports, ranging from Edge’s first kill up to his most recent one. Last week, a 26 year old man named Roger Matilda was killed and stowed in one of the supply closets at the hotel where he worked. The crudely carved paw, placed right where the heart would be beating, was a good indicator that Edge was behind the murder. Like usual, there were a number of various sized bruises and cuts on the body, as well as a shattered right knee. The cause of death was a broken neck this time, as opposed to a slit throat or blunt force trauma to the head. 

 

“Enoch better be having more luck than I am right now. Or else the entire city’s going to end up dead in few years.” I gather up the papers, arranging them from earliest to latest, before placing them back into the folder they came out of. Making sure that no paper falls out, I pick up the folder and walk back to the archives. When I reach the room, Enoch’s just walking out of it. 

 

“Jadyn, any luck?” I bite my lips before shaking my head and turning my eyes to to the door behind my ex friend. 

 

“Alright. I’ll alert Edward then. While I’m doing that, find all the folders you can about Edge. We can compare notes in my office when I get back.” I look back at Enoch’s face before narrowing my eyes. 

 

“Oh, now you want to talk? I figured you’d want to do this alone, like last time.” My snarky assumption doesn’t seem to even faze Enoch. Instead he answers me in a monotone voice, as if he were a robot. 

 

“It’s obvious that neither of us are making any progress alone. If we gather all of the data that we’ve collected so far and analyze it, we’ll catch something we overlooked before.” I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from scoffing. Enoch confuses me so much. First he wants to pretend that we don’t know each other, completely ignores me, then he wants to collaborate on a case? What’s his angle? 

 

“Whatever. If it gets the job done….” I clutch the folder under my arm as he nods and starts to walk forward. We barely keep from colliding shoulders when he passes me.

 

“Remember, grab all of the files regarding Edge. Don’t leave any unchecked.” I raise an eyebrow at his back before snorting and shaking my head. The fact that Enoch still thinks I’m incapable is just adding salt to the wound. 

 

The annoying beep that sounds off as I type in the pass code to the archive room calms me slightly, only because I can focus on the annoying sound. Entering, I scan the room before locating the section that’s been devoted to Edge, section 3, shelf 1. I sigh as I quickly pick out all of the folders containing anything that could help: reports, autopsies, notes from Edge himself, profiles on the victims, just anything. When I’ve grabbed what I need, I place them all on the floor before grabbing a box from the bottom shelf to put all the files in. The feelings of confusion and slight anger starts up again as I walk to Enoch’s office. I still don’t understand. 

 

“Why now?” I mumble to no one. I pass very few doors on my trek, only stopping once to look into the window of the autopsy room. Our latest victim is still in there, covered by a blanket before we arrange for the body to be properly buried. We really need to catch Edge before our autopsy room is flooded with bodies. 

 

“Here we go, room 6.” Enoch’s office is in a more private section since he can’t always handle other people being too close to him. A fact that I should’ve thought about before I became his friend. May have saved me the pain. 

 

“Stop that. The case, Jadyn, the case.” I hiss at myself as I shake my head and open the door, swiftly entering the room and closing the door behind me. Sighing out shakily, I open my eyes and look around the room as I set the files down. It’s almost like nothing’s changed since the last time I was here, which was three months ago since Enoch and I don’t work well together. Anymore, at least. 

 

“Hmmm, let’s see……” I take the folders out and make myself useful by arranging them in a timeline, like I did previously in my own office. I’m just about done when Enoch walks into the room, startling me by speaking suddenly in that creepy robot voice of his. Jeez. 

 

“Thank you for waiting for me, Jadyn. I see you’ve made wise use of your time.” I grit my teeth before taking a calming breath and turning around to face my ex friend. It’s hard to express any emotion to Enoch nowadays. Before, if he even detected the slightest tension in my posture, he would question me about it. Now, it’s like our time together during the first few weeks of training in the police academy. He’s so….cold, and sometimes insensitive. 

 

“Right. Anyway, what approach do you want to take? Because trying to find a pattern in his kills aren’t working for me. The most recent victims, especially, seem more random. Like he’s getting desperate, or just wants attention.” I stare at the door behind Enoch as I explain, knowing that I might break down if I stare into his eyes. 

 

“However, I did manage to find something as I was arranging them before you came in…..” I turn my back to Enoch and scan my timeline before reaching down and carefully picking up a photo of one of the notes he left. 

 

“With every note he leaves, he leaves a word. Now, we all know this, so that’s not the new part. But with this recent one added to the mix, I think I can piece together what Edge’s looking for.” I make sure not to look at Enoch as I arrange the notes, from earliest to latest. When I’m done, I take a step back, still looking at the note arrangement. 

 

“I think….I think there’s something you’re not telling me.” I glance at Enoch and almost panic when I see him visible tense. On the desk before both of us, are a series of letters that Edge has left behind. They’re all written in the blood of the victim and left in one of the hands when we get there. 

 

“Tell me if I’m wrong, Enoch. But I think that what Edge’s looking for….” I turn to face my ex friend and almost step back when his head snaps towards mine. 

 

“Don’t say it, Jadyn. I know where this is going.” I scoff and cross my arms, cocking my hips out for good measure. 

 

“Fine. I won’t say anything. You though, will look and tell me what I’m going to say.” I point to the line of photos, each having a different word on each. 

 

“You’re going to say that Edge’s looking to target one of us, aren’t you?” I raise an eyebrow before sighing out in frustration and pinching the bridge of my nose. 

 

“Well, what would you say, then? I’ve been working with some other agents on this and they all agree. The letters line up to say: ‘I am coming for you, officer EM.’ Clearly, he’s talking to one of the only agencies still after him.” I narrow my eyes at Enoch when he just sighs and walks forward. 

 

“You and the others are putting too much thought into this.” I gasp as he grabs all of the photos harshly and just shoves them into the box.

 

“Enoch! Those are photos from the archive! You can’t just-!” I’m cut off when he turns around and quietly, but quickly walks towards me. Glare still in place, I back up slightly to keep from being run over until my back meets the wall. Great. 

 

“I’m going to say this once, Jadyn….” I bite the inside of my cheek as cold, hate filled eyes stare into mine. I’m not going to panic, I’m not going to panic, I’m not going to-. 

 

“Drop. It.” The tone of voice he uses sends chills down my spine. I lied before, the creepy robot tone isn’t the tone I hate the most. It’s this one, the one filled with venom and pure anger. 

 

“Enoch, you know I can’t. If there’s a chance that we can save his next victim from this, then we need to-” I yell out as cold finger take hold of my cheeks. When pressure is applied, I wince and decide to just yield to what he wants me to do. I yield to the silence that he’s demanding from me. 

 

“I mean it.” Even though he’s whispering, I take it as if he was yelling at me. That’s what breaks me the most. When he forgets that I have opinions and ideas too and gets upset when I decide to share them. It really makes me miss the years before this. When we were still friends, when we were still close. 

 

“Jadyn.” I blink before looking into Enoch’s eyes. I get it. He wants me to say that I’ll drop it. Not like I have a choice, anyway. 

 

“Fine. It’s dropped.” I force myself to calm down as he nods in approval before letting go of my jaw. As I bring my hand up to soothe the sore area, he turns his back to me and stares at the photos. Once again, a good example of how I mean almost nothing to him now. 

 

“Now that we’ve gotten that cleared up, are there any other patterns that you noticed?” I grumble a bit before walking forward and standing next to him. 

 

“Besides the notes, not much. Every other pattern that I’ve found has already been delivered to Edward. He said he told you about it.” I glance to the side and see him nod before looking back down to the timeline that I’ve made. We both discuss anymore possible patterns before starting to pack up when they lead to nothing. 

 

“Why didn’t you report to me personally?” I furrow my brow before looking to where Enoch’s gathering the autopsy papers and placing them back in their files. 

“What do you mean? Edward said that you got my reports.” I narrow my eyes when he sighs and looks up at me. His face looks blank, but his eyes are betraying him. He’s frustrated. 

 

“Yes, he gave them to me. What I asked was why didn’t you give them to me personally. Hmmm?” I bite my lip and look down to make sure I’m putting all of the scene photos in the correct files. 

 

“Figured that it’d be more effective. You know, with you rarely answering your door when I knock.” The last part is more mumbled than spoken, but Enoch seems to hear it anyway. It’s silent for a few moments after that before we’ve got all of the files back in the box. 

 

“I’m going to go put these back in the archives. You should probably talk to Edward again.” I don’t mean to sound so bitter, but in the end, I can’t help it. Walking out, I don’t give Enoch enough time to respond before I’m walking down the hall again. After I drop off the files, I take a deep breath and decide to talk to Leah about the case. Her office/room is only a few minutes away, so I have enough time to plaster on a fake smile before I open her door. 

 

“Hey Leah, how are you?” When our resident doctor looks up, I decide that her smile is enough to take some of the negativity out of my current mood. 

 

“Oh, I’m doing ok. Not exactly the best, since….you know, dead bodies coming in and out of here. But not bad.” I smile sadly. 

 

Enoch and I may have to go out and examine the scenes where the bodies are found, but Leah has the pressure of identifying the cause of death and other examinations of the dead body (most of the findings freak us and her our). Also, just the feeling of being one of the last people that our victims come in contact with can be uncomfortable. 

 

“Understandable. How’s Claire doing?” I manage to lighten the mood at the mention of Leah’s partner. Then again, mentioning Claire in general tends to lighten the mood in most cases. Mainly because she’s one of the few people in our friend group that isn’t surrounded by death and murder. 

 

“She’s doing quite well, thank you for asking. She’s excited for the next time she can come in and say hi to everyone.” I chuckle at that.

 

“Tell her she’s always welcome, unless we’re working on a big case.” Leah nods at me before tilting her head. 

 

“What did you need though, Jadyn? You came in here with a certain….glint to your eyes.” I hold my breath for a few moments before sighing and shaking my head. 

 

“Enoch and I couldn’t come to a consensus on an idea, so I came here to get your input.” At the mention of Enoch, Leah looks to me with pitiful eyes. She, as well as Claire, know what our situation is like. Claire was the main shoulder I cried on the first time Enoch completely shunned me. 

 

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. What was your idea?” I look down and pick at the fabric of my shirt.

 

“You know those bloody notes that we get with some of the victims? I worked with some others and were able to put them together. It read: ‘I’m coming for you, officer M.’ When I told him that I think Edge’s after one of us, he….well, he….” While I struggle to find the right words, Leah sighs and comes over to hug me. 

 

“Freaked out? Denied everything?” I nod while slowly bringing my arms up to wrap around Leah’s waist. 

 

“I’m sorry, Jadyn.” I shake my head and bury my face into her shoulder. 

 

“Don’t be. I should’ve seen it coming. I mean, when has Enoch not gotten defensive or freaked out when I present an idea about Edge?” I fell a hand start to rub circle patterns on my back as I breath in and out to keep myself calm. 

 

“Still though, you don’t get defensive when he shares an idea. He shouldn’t do that to you.” I smile, feeling a bit better at Leah’s words. 

 

“Anyway, I told Enoch that and he shot it own, but I don’t think I’m wrong. Edge’s killings have become more random, the only pattern being that the ones he kills are above 20. It’s almost like he’s seeking attention. Attention from this ‘officer EM’.” I pull back as Leah regards my statement. I’ll be the first to admit that when thinking, Leah looks a bit scary. Like she’d snap at anyone who interrupted her thought process. 

 

“I see where you’re coming from. Have you gone to Edward about it?” I shake my head and bring a hand up to run my fingers through my hair.

 

“No. I sent Enoch to do it. Probably shouldn’t of done that, now that I think about it.” I giggle as Leah laughs out and throws an arm over my shoulder. 

 

“Probably not. Oh well, it’s not the end of the world.” I smile. 

 

“Thanks Leah. Now, I’ve also come to hear about our latest victim. I know you already submitted a report, but I wish to hear what you have to say about this murder.” Just like that, a smooth transition is made. Going from supportive friends to co-workers talking to each other. Calm and friendly, to professionally and somewhat tense. It’s not bad though, better than what Enoch and I have constantly. 

 


	4. Chapter 2

**Enoch POV:**

As soon as the door slams shut, I sigh and walk to my chair. A dangerous sounding creak is heard when I slump into it, but I can’t bring myself to care. I swear, if I had a time machine, I’d go back in time and slap my younger self. Thinking that Jadyn and I could be friends was a terrible idea. Something I should’ve known was doomed to fail. 

 

I rub my hand over my eyes before opening my laptop and turning it on. My lock screen was a picture that Jadyn took of us when we were younger and still training in the academy. As much as I fight it, a smile makes its way onto my face as I remember those times. While keeping Jadyn safe was definitely my number one priority, sometimes I can’t help but think of the days where I didn’t have to push him away. He was a great friend, someone always there no matter what I did or said to him. 

 

“Enoch, did you or Jadyn find anything?” I jump and snap my eyes up to address who spoke to me. It’s our chief, Edward Bronco. Clearing my throat, I brush my hair back a bit before speaking. 

 

“Yes sir. Jadyn found something.” I know I told Jadyn to drop it earlier, but I’m not so cruel as to completely ignore something he found. No matter what he thinks. 

 

“Oh, what is it? Anything found would be helpful right now.” I nod at Edward’s tired sounding voice.

 

“Jadyn and a couple of others managed to put the notes together and form a warning. It read: ‘I’m coming for you, officer EM.’ I don’t think I need to tell you who this warning was for.” Giving Edward a look is all I need to do for him to get the point, something I’m grateful for. 

 

“No, I know, I know. Does Jadyn?” I bite my lip and look down a bit. 

 

“No sir. When he told me that he thought Edge was after one of us, I told him to drop it.” I hear a sigh and have to keep from apologizing. What I’m doing is keeping Jadyn safe. 

 

“Enoch, I understand your actions and why you’re taking them. I know I promised not to tell Jadyn, but I highly recommend that you do soon. Keeping this from him could result in one or both of you causing more damage than can be fixed to your already strained relationship.” I wince slightly at the word relationship. 

 

“Sir, I’ve told you, I’m doing this for his safety. If Jadyn gets close to me, or even shows that he means something to me, he could become a target. I won’t put him in that position. Not while Edge is still out there.” I look up and narrow my eyes when Edward gives me a pleading look. 

 

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’ve made up my mind. Him being safe is more important right now.” It takes a while, but eventually Edward just sighs and nods his head in understanding. The pleading gaze doesn’t go away though, instead, it’s accompanied by one of sadness. 

 

“Very well, Enoch. Whatever you think is best.” Oh god, his voice right now reminds me of my many encounters with Jadyn. The only difference is that Jadyn’s is a mix of hurt and anger while Edward’s is hurt and tired. It’s really not fair. 

 

“I’m just trying to protect him. I can’t let him end up like…..like….” I breath in and look down, struggling not to cry. Even now, the very mention of Kellen or Carl has me breaking down. I don’t think I ever truly healed from their deaths, not completely. Yes, I acknowledged that they’re dead and I can’t remain depressed forever, but that doesn’t mean that I’m ok yet. 

 

“Enoch, shhhhh, shhhh, breathe, young one. Breathe.” I gasp and look up when I hear Edward’s voice. I follow his advice and take a few deep breaths before looking behind me and leaning back a bit when he massages my shoulders. Some tears have come out, but not too many. Not enough to really stain my cheeks. 

 

“Enoch, I get it. Ok? You’re just trying to do what you think is best for him.” I bite my lip and nod as Edward continues to talk. In times like these, the resemblance that Edward has to a father really comes out. Especially when I compare it to my deadbeat father who didn’t care about my mother at all. 

 

“I just want him safe, Edward. But it-it’s so hard to keep doing this.” I allow the tears to fall as I recollect my times with Jadyn. He was the perfect friend. Well balanced between aware and unfairly positive, never pushed or pulled, and always provided a good shoulder to cry on when I needed to vent. 

 

“I know, Enoch, I know. Jadyn became someone important to you. However, I must remind you that you were the one to push him away. I know why, but it must be said.” I nod again and turn to face Edward. 

 

“I know. I don’t regret it though, his safety is more important.” I allow a hard look to make its way back onto my face as Edward nods and clears his throat. 

 

“It’s your judgment, I can’t force you to do anything.” I hum before opening my laptop and quickly pulling up the folder on Edge. I may or may not have also glared at Edward when he snickered at my lock and back screen, but whatever. That’s not important. 

 

“As you can see, and as you’ve heard from Jadyn’s latest report, Edge’s starting to get a bit desperate for attention. There’s no true pattern anymore, and the killings are coming weekly as opposed to monthly.” As I continue to explain everything to Edward, my mind unconsciously drifts to Jadyn. Whenever Edge is involved, which is always nowadays, he’s one of the first people I think about. I know it’s coming, but I dread the day that Edge manages to find out who Jadyn is. 

 

“Yes, yes, I see. Well, good work to you and Jadyn. However, knowing you, I sense that you didn’t just share all of this with me just so I’m aware.” I nod with a grim look on my face. Edward can read me pretty well. 

 

“Correct. I’ve devised a quick plan after my….meeting with Jadyn. One that neither him nor you will like.” I hold up a hand when Edward moves to protest. 

 

“Hear me out. I’m thinking about snooping around the areas that most of the bodies have been left at. Jadyn was right about the victims being random, but the general area of where the bodies were left could indicate where he’s hiding.” I move my mouse a bit and pull up a quick map of the area where we’ve found most of the bodies. There’s several markings that I’ve made to help stress my point. 

 

“The bodies have either been found in different parts of Jade Hotel & Spa or the movie theater a few blocks down. I plan on looking around the theater first before asking the manager at the hotel a few questions about her guests.” I watch and practically hear the gears turning in Edward’s head. I know what his answer is going to be, so I just nod when he sighs and tells me I have permission to investigate the areas. 

 

“One condition though.” I raise an eyebrow. This is a first.

 

“You need to take Jadyn with you. To the theater and to the Hotel.” My eyes widen. What?! Absolutely not!

 

“Sir! Why would I need to take Jadyn?!” Edward knows that keeping Jadyn away from Ale-I mean, Edge, has been my mission since the death of my brother. 

 

“You and I both know that wandering around the dumping spots of a serial killer is dangerous to do alone. Jadyn is the only capable candidate to accompany you and you know it. Our junior officers don’t have the proper training in combat or stealth.” I breath out before sighing and reaching up to pinch the bridge of my nose. 

 

“Jadyn doesn’t have enough experience with someone like Edge, Edward. He could get hurt or killed.” Edward sighs at my explanation before giving me a sad look. God dammit. Not again. 

 

“I’m sorry, Enoch. But like I said before, Jadyn’s the only other qualified person here to help you. Besides, with you two working together, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” I bite my lip and stare at Edward. I don’t like this, but I guess I don’t have much of a choice. 

 

“Alright, fine. I’ll take him with me.” I narrow my eyes when Edward smiles. 

 

“But he takes extra cuffs, an extra taser, an extra gun, a can of pepper spray, hidden  knives, an air horn-” I glare when Edward gasps and throws his arms up. 

 

“What?! How will he be able to run properly if he’s carrying all of this stuff?” I roll my eyes. What kind of question is that? 

 

“Jadyn has a brain, he can figure out how. I’ve seen him be able to successfully hide a knife dripping with blood from another police officer while wearing clothes that had no pockets.” I allow the tips of my lips to tilt up when Edward nods before frowning again at this next question. 

 

“I’m confused about something. You admit that Jadyn’s a capable detective and officer, yet you continue to treat him as a toddler when it comes to handling Edge. Why is that, Enoch?” Seriously, how does my boss not see my reasoning?

 

“There’s a difference between packing knowledge and tracking a serial killer. Especially one that’s known for the thrill of the hunt isn’t known to show much mercy. One that kills out of cold blood.” I glare as Edward visibly shivers and shake my head. Jeezus. 

 

“Ok, ok, I get it. But still, you guys are partners for this case, you need to be open with him about your findings and your knowledge. Or else Jadyn will be killed.” My eyes widen as Edward points this out with a blank face. 

 

“I-I mean….” For once in my life, I’m stumped. Have I been the one placing Jadyn in danger more than Edge has? I mean, I’ve been the one keeping things from him-no! Nope, I kept things from him so he wouldn’t be near me and wouldn’t get involved. 

 

“Alright, I’ll tell him any info he needs to keep himself alive.” I relax a bit when Edward smiles at me and nods. 

 

“Fair enough. Again, you don’t need to tell him your encounter with Edge and I’m assuming he already knows about Carl and Kellen.” I nod and turn back to my computer to shut it off and close it. Turning to face our chief again, I sigh and look to him with hardened eyes. 

 

“When can I start?” He clears his throat before speaking. 

 

“As soon as you’d like. I’ll contact Jadyn and let him know of your partnership while you go check in with Leah. You know why.” I sigh and rub my temple. 

 

Yes, I know exactly why. I work the latest I can and wake up at ungodly hours of the morning. Not exactly the healthiest routine. Edward makes me check in with Leah at least twice a week for her to check my condition and give me any necessary medicines or sleeping pills. Maybe not condition, actually. More like, my habit…? 

 

“I’ll go do that right now. Would you please ask Jadyn if he’d be willing to start tomorrow?” I grab my folders and laptop before placing them in my backpack. It’s to Leah’s office then straight home today.

 

“Yes, of course. Have a good night, Enoch. Get some good rest. You’ll need it for tomorrow/” I nod and put my jacket on before going to the door and holding it open. After Edward exits, I lock the door and walk towards the exit of the building. 

 

I hum as I pass by the numerous offices and rooms. Specifically, our agency has more rooms for things like evidence and files than actual offices. This is because our departments pretty small, we only handle cases like kidnappings, rapes, or murders. We don’t take robberies, suicides, or harassments (unless they’re involved in a case we’re working on). The partnering department takes care of things like those.

 

Making my way out and to my house, I think about Edward and Jadyn. I was trying to keep Jadyn safe by keeping him out of my life. I don’t regret it. But at the same time, Edward’s probably right. If I don’t tell Jadyn what he needs to know, then I’ll be responsible if he gets hurt or killed. As responsible as Edge could be. This whole thing is just a mess right now. 

 

With that thought, I climb into my car and sigh. Pushing the key in, I wait a few moments before gently slamming my forehead against the wheel. Once again, this whole thing is just a mess. I look behind me and back out of the parking lot before driving in the direction of my house. Well, more like Carl’s house. 

 

After he died, I made sure that his house wasn’t sold to a stranger. Instead, I sold my own old house and bought his. Not a hard process since nobody, at the time, wanted a house that belonged to a murder victim. The drive there is quick and soon I’m parking the car in the garage and opening the door. I make sure that the car door’s locked before entering the house. The silence greets me. Wonderful. I make quick work of eating something, washing up, then getting out bed. I need all of the energy I can get for tomorrow. 

 

_ I open my eyes and groan. What happened to the moonlight? I can’t see a thing.  When I try to turn the overhead light on, it proves to be useless. Guess it’s broken then. I squint and slowly get up, making my way out of bed. I know the exact format of my room, so getting to the door is relatively easy. What freaks me out is when I open it, I hear a maniacal sounding laugh. Is there a burglar in here? Backing up, I walk towards the direction I know my dresser is and open one of the bottom drawers. Reaching inside, I pull out my six inch blade and steadily make my way to the door again.  _

 

_ Quietly opening it again, I make sure my knife’s somewhat hidden in my sleep shirt before advancing forward. A sudden light has me freezing and reaching for my knife. Yep. There’s definitely a burglar in here. The light’s coming from the guest bedroom across the hall, so I slowly start to walk towards it. As I get closer to the room, the sound of whispers and whimpers fill the air. Are there two people here? Is one of them hurt? Wouldn't’ be too surprising, my bedroom and guest bedroom are on the top floor. Not sure why anyone would target the top floor, but whatever.  _

 

_ When I get close enough, I bring the knife out and take a deep breath. Now, there are no sounds. No whispers or anything. That’s odd. Did they know I was here? Did they hear me walking down the hall? That thought flies out the door when I hear the whimpering start up again. Guess not. But now, the lights have shut off and it sounds like only one person’s in the room. Good. I sneak in, staying close to the wall, and focus on the bed. There’s someone laying on it. Judging from the twitches that I can see and how the whimpering seems to be emitting from there, I’d say that this person’s hurt.  _

 

_ I stow my knife in my shirt again before crawling towards the bed. When I’m about to sit up and demand answers, the lights flicks on again and a very familiar, hated face comes to view. I should’ve known…… _

 

_ “Hello, Enoch. Pleasure seeing you again.” I growl and jump out, knife in hand and eyes narrowed.  _

 

_ “What do you want, Alex?” I almost smile when he frowns. I stop myself when that frown turns into a child like pout. And I mean a bratty child, not the cute type of child pout.  _

 

_ “Using my real name, Enoch? How rude. And after all the trouble the public went through to give me my title…..” I growl again and hold the knife out more as Alex starts to advance towards me.  _

 

_ “I don’t care. What I would be interested in though, is why you’re here. Why now?” I grip the knife tighter when he laughs.  _

 

_ “Oh Enoch, still the fearless little fighter, I see. I assure you, I won’t waste your time. I’ve come to tell you the identity of next prey.” I tilt my head at this. What the…?  _

 

_ “Yeah, I’m here to tell you the identity of my next prey.” I raise an eyebrow when he raises his hands as a form of surrender.  _

 

_ “And how do I know you’re not just trying to throw me off? Lead me astray…..” I almost shiver when Alex smirks. I hate that smirk. It tells me that I’m missing something right in front of me.  _

 

_ “Like I said, I won’t waste your time. In fact, I’ve prepared a special clue for you to prove that I’m not lying.” My mouth opens to speak before he beats me to it.  _

 

_ “Why don’t you turn around and look at the bed, Enoch?” I scoff.  _

 

_ “And turn my back to you? Not likely.” Alex laughs before slowly sidestepping. _

 

_ “Here, I’ll slowly move to the side so you can still see me as you turn. That work?” I think about it for a moment. If there’s a clue on the bed (or whatever reason) then it wouldn’t hurt to look. If Alex moves slowly as I turn, so I can still see him, it should be fine.  _

 

_ “Alright. Start moving.” I keep my eyes trained on Alex as he moves. Before long, he’s on the other side of the bed as I keep my narrowed eyes on him. Once I’m sure he won’t move, I sneak a look down. The sight has my blood going cold.  _

 

_ “Jadyn!” I scream and slam my knife down on the nightside table before running my hands over Jadyn’s face.  _

 

_ “Jadyn! Wake up! Jadyn!” I continue to scream as tears start to flow down my cheeks.  _

 

_ Jadyn’s barely breathing, his eyes are on the borderline of shutting, and his stomach area has blood showing through the shirt he’s wearing.  _

 

_ “What did you do to him, you bastard?!” I look up and glare at Alex. Through my tear soaked vision, I see him place a hand on his chest in mock hurt.  _

 

_ “Me? Do anything? I can’t imagine why you’d think that.” I growl and shoot to my feet. Grabbing the knife, I hurl it at Alex and scream.  _

 

_ Before the knife makes contact though, he disappears. I breath out and look back down at Jadyn. Now he’s not breathing, his eyes are completely closed, and the blood appears to be drying.  _

 

_ “Oh Jadyn, I’m so sorry. I should’ve done more.” I start to cry and fall to my knees. Cradling his head, I bring his upper body to my chest and sob as I hug his lifeless form.  _

 

_ “I’m so sorry, Jadyn. So, so, so, sorry. I couldn’t protect you.” I blink my eyes open when I feel movement and scream when I see Jadyn’s dead, grey eyes looking at me. He’s speaking, but I can’t make out what he’s saying. I just, I can’t look away from is eyes. His now grey eyes. Dead, void of life. It’s all my fault…... _

 

I gasp as my eyes fly open. I’m soaking with sweat and breathing heavily. Swiping a hand across my cheeks, I see I’ve also been crying a bit. It was just a nightmare. Nothing was real. Jadyn’s still at home, probably sleeping, and he’s alive. I breath in and out slowly, in an attempt to take back some control of my body.

 

“I really need to talk to Jadyn tomorrow.” I groan and bring a hand to my forehead. I sigh and lay back, attempting to get a few more hours of rest before going to the department. 

 


	5. Chapter 3

Jadyn bites his bottom lip as he waits for Enoch to arrive. Edward had briefed him earlier on the plans for the day and he took it with a stride. Or, at least that’s how it looked on the outside. On the inside, he was panicking. How was today going to go? Would they get into another argument? Would they actually be able to agree on something? His thoughts are interrupted when Enoch clears his throat. 

 

“Jadyn, you’re here. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” Jadyn shakes his head before crossing his arms and leaning against the wall next to Enoch’s door. 

 

“No, not too long. If you want to get started today, then by all means. I’ll just wait out here while you drop your stuff.” Enoch takes a moment to scan Jadyn’s form, as if to check for any injuries that could prove last night’s nightmare to be real. When none are present, Enoch nods stiffly before quickly entering his office. 

 

Only a few minutes pass before Enoch’s ready. The two detectives let Edward know that they’re leaving before walking to the parking lot and getting into Enoch’s car. On the way to the theater, Enoch glances at Jadyn before breathing out and closing his eyes. When he opens them, he’s got a blank look on his eye and face. At the theater, when Jadyn’s about to get out, Enoch grabs his arm. 

 

“Wait. Take this.” Enoch hands Jadyn small bag. 

 

“What is it?” Jadyn’s eyes go from curiosity to confusion when he looks into the bag. 

 

“You’ll need those.” Jadyn tilts his head up at Enoch. 

 

“Why? This is a bit much for a site investigation.” Enoch rolls his eyes before looking towards Jadyn. 

 

“Please, just….take them.” Jadyn raises his eyebrow. There was a bit of a pleading tone used just now. Enoch McCarthy, pleading? What? 

 

“Fine.” Enoch nods and turns to open the door. When he’s about to get out, Jadyn grabs his arm and gives Enoch a serious look. 

 

“When we’re done here, we’re talking about this. You’ve never done something or acted like this before.” Jadyn doesn’t give Enoch a chance to response. Instead, he releases Enoch’s arm and quickly exits the car. If he stayed, he might’ve caught the guilty look Enoch sent him. 

 

The two make their way inside and immediately find the manager. He quickly leads them back to the dumpster (where a good amount of bodies have been dumped) before wishing them luck and going back inside. Gloves are quickly placed on hands before the search begins. Jadyn searches under the dumpster briefly before joining Enoch in his search in the dumpster. 

 

“Anything we’re looking for? Like, specifically?” Enoch looks up as his hand continues to rummage through the trash. 

 

“Anything that we missed that could have blood on it, or just anything that may seem strange for being in a dumpster.” With that said, Enoch goes back to searching. Jadyn nods his head before continuing. 

 

About two hours later, the two detectives decide to call it a day for the theater and walk back to the car. The gloves are placed in a paper bag before being put in the backseat. On the way to Jade Hotel and Spa, Jadyn starts to speak. 

 

“When we get to the hotel, we should check the park next to it first. The closets and dumpsters won’t help us too much there.” Enoch turns to Jadyn with a raised brow. 

 

“Oh?” Jadyn chuckles and nods. 

 

“Yeah. Leah pulled out some leaves from Roger’s body this morning. They was down his throat, so that’s why it was just found this morning. When we looked up where they could’ve come from, the park next to the hotel showed up. Apparently, it’s filled with bushes with the leaves that were down Roger’s throat.” Enoch nods slowly before quickly entering the parking lot and parking. 

 

“Any idea why it was down his throat?” Jadyn nods before exiting the car and joining Enoch as he walks to the park next to the hotel. 

 

“It wasn’t too far down his throat, so Leah thinks that the leaves were used as a quieting technique. Roger was probably a bit too close to the hotel and Edge didn’t want his screams or yells to be heard.” Enoch nods before looking ahead.

 

They walk for a few moments more before Enoch holds his arm out. Stopping, Jadyn follows Enoch’s line of sight and freezes. Some bushes look like they’ve had a few branches broken. Jadyn bites his lip and prepares some gloves as Enoch approaches the bushes. While Enoch pushes the branches and leaves apart, Jadyn looks around. The park is empty. And it’s still relatively early, barely past noon. If people don’t pay much attention to the park during the day, then no one must pay much attention to it during the night. It would be perfect for someone like Edge. 

 

“Jadyn, come here!” Jadyn rushes behind the bushes and gasps at Enoch’s find. 

 

“I think we found where our victim was dragged from.” Jadyn nods and looks down. 

 

There’s a trail that leads from the bush to an unknown location. The way the dirt’s shifted indicates the the victim was dragged to the bush. Which could mean that Roger was already dead when he went through here. With that in mind, the detectives follow the trail and end up a good mile away from the park. They end up near a popular hiking trail. 

 

“The tracks stop here. So it’s probably safe to say that our victim was killed somewhere in the hiking trail.” Enoch nods at Jadyn before looking down at Jadyns stomach. Someone’s hungry. 

 

“Are you hungry?” Jadyn blushes a bit in embarrassment before nodding when his stomach growls again. 

 

“Alright. I am too. Let’s call Edward and let him know of our find.” Jadyn nods before grabbing his phone and pulling up his chief's number.

 

Needless to say, Edward’s more than pleased. There’s a brief conversation about how the path was found before Edward curses and groans. Something along the lines of, “should’ve see that coming,” makes it way to Jadyn and Enoch’s ears before Edward once again congratulate them on their find. Before Jadyn hands up, Edward makes sure to tell them to “grab some lunch already!” and “come back to the office when you’re done, you two have done your fair share today.” The two detectives reply with an affirmative before Jadyn hangs up and turns to Enoch. 

 

“So, you feeling a specific type of food or is anywhere ok?” Enoch shrugs before throwing the question back at Jadyn. A move that has Jadyn laughing and Enoch blushing slightly. 

 

“Maybe sushi? We can grab it pretty quickly and head back to the office afterwards.” Enoch nods in agreement before following Jadyn back to the car. 

 

The sushi pick up is, like Jadyn said, really quick. As they step foot back into the office, Jadyn’s quick to (literally) drag Enoch to his office. On the way, Edward stops them briefly to announce that a search team has been sent out to see if there are any bodies before winking at Enoch when Jadyn continues to drag the poor guy to the office. 

 

“Alright, we’re here. Now spill. What was with the extra precautions back there?” Jadyn crosses his arms after depositing the sushi on Enoch’s dish. Narrowed eyes are what eventually have Enoch talking. 

 

“Alright. Well, as you know, Edge killed my brother and best friend. Since we were looking around his…..dump sites, I wanted to take extra precautions.” Jadyn nods slightly before tilting his head and sitting in the seat across Enoch’s laptop. 

 

“Why didn’t you just say that earlier?” Jadyn opens his sushi box and stares at Enoch as the latter carefully lowers himself in his chair and opens his own sushi box. 

 

“Unless…..there’s something that you’re not telling me. Again.” Enoch freezes mid chew and looks genuinely nervous as Jadyn stares at him, still chewing his own sushi roll. 

 

“Well, I….uh….” Jadyn groans in frustration as Enoch attempts to stall. It takes only a few minutes for him to snap. 

 

“Oh for goodness sake! Just tell me! If we hide things from each other regarding Edge, then one of us might end up dead!” As soon as the word ‘dead’ leaves Jadyn’s lips, Enoch’s up and slamming his hands on the table. 

 

“Don’t say that!” Jadyn jumps as Enoch yells at him. Luckily, the sushi seems pretty stable from where it is on the table. 

 

“Enoch….?” Jadyn’s timid sounding voice is barely heard over Enoch’s ragged breathing. A few more calls is what has Enoch shaking his head and narrowing hi eyes at Jadyn. 

 

“Don’t you ever say something like that again. I won’t let Al-Edge, hurt any of us.” Jadyn’s eyes widen at Enoch’s voice. There’s anger, definitely, but there’s also something else there. Something like….nervousness? No, not that. Something like that though. 

 

“Say it, Jadyn. Say it!” Jadyn shoots to his feet when Enoch starts to scream at him and makes quick work of holding his hands up and speaking quickly. 

 

“Ok, ok! I’m sorry! Edge can’t get to any of us anyway! Enoch, calm down. I’m sorry!” As Jadyn repeats apology after apology, Enoch breathes deeply to get his breathing back under control. 

 

It takes a few minutes, 15-20, before Enoch sits back down and continues to eat. The two eat in silence until Jadyn announces that he’s going to go talk to Edward about the hiking trail and possible paths. Enoch’s too in his head to truly acknowledge Jadyn’s departure, so Jadyn’s announcement is the only voice heard until the door closes. 

 

“Got to tell Edward.” Jadyn murmurs to himself as he walks to Edward’s office. 

 

“Jadyn! Come in, come in! What happened with Enoch? I heard yelling.” Jadyn smiles at his chief to calm the man. 

 

“Don’t worry too much about it, Edward. Nothing was thrown, in case you’re wondering.” Edward laughs lightly at that before beckoning Jadyn to sit down. 

 

“I see. Well then, what did you need?” Jadyn takes a deep breath before staring into Edward’s eyes with a serious, almost dangerous glint. 

 

“I wish to join the search team tomorrow. In the hiking trails?” Edward furrows his brow before leaning back a bit and shrugging. 

 

“Alright, I don’t see anything wrong with that. You’ll need to ask Enoch if you want his he-” Jadyn quickly holds up his hand. 

 

“I don’t want to take Enoch with me.” Edward’s eyes widen while Jadyn makes sure that his breathing is still under control. 

 

“What? But Jadyn, why? Enoch has the most experience with Edge. It’s would be safer if-” Jadyn interrupts his chief again. 

 

“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think it’s safe to bring Enoch with. The argument that we had? Well, it was about him hiding things from me. When he wouldn’t answer my questions, then I told him that hiding things about Edge could end up getting one of us killed.” Edward winces a bit at that, though it escapes Jadyn’s attention. 

 

“I understand that he has the most experience with Edge. But at the same time, how is that useful if he keeps the info to himself?” Edward regards Jadyn’s question before sighing and nodding his head. 

 

“That’s fair, I suppose. Very well, you may join the search team tomorrow. Am I safe to assume that since Enoch’s not going with you, you won’t tell him?” Jadyn shrugs. 

 

“I personally don’t plan on telling him. I care not for what you decide to do.” Edward thinks for a second before shaking his head. 

 

“I sense that it would be helpful if he doesn’t know. I won’t say a thing.” Jadyn allows a small smile to grace his lips before frowning once again. 

 

“Chief, I appreciate greatly that you’re supporting me in this and that you’ve been as patient as you have with Enoch and I. However, I must know, has he told you why he’s hiding information on Edge?” Edward sighs and nods his head. Might as well confess now before any more arguments tear Jadyn and Enoch apart. 

 

“He has. Before you say anything, I’m afraid I’ve been sworn to secrecy. For whatever reason, he doesn’t want you helping. That’s all I can say.” Jadyn grunts in frustration before thanking his chief and standing up, making his way to the door. 

 

“Thanks for telling me. I’m going to grab Leah and converse with her regarding the next possible victim. Or at least, a location that we can guard.” Edward nods with a sad look on his face as Jadyn leaves the room, the door shutting with an almost inaudible click. 

 

As Jadyn walks to Leah’s office to discuss possible victims and locations, Edward waits in his office for a few moments before sighing and standing up. He opens his door, looks around to make sure Jadyn’s not around, before quickly entering Enoch’s office. Without knocking, mind you. What he comes face to face with is an exhausted and all around nervous detective. Edward clears his throat before speaking, flinching back again when dark eyes shoot immediately to his own. Almost like they want to burn him where he stands. 

 

“Enoch.” Edward carefully steps towards his ward, taking note in the tense posture and piercing gaze. 

 

“Enoch.” The second call of his name has Enoch shaking his head and breathing out heavily. 

 

“Chief, I had a…..I had a nightmare. Last night, I mean.” Edward nods his head before grabbing a chair and pulling it so that Enoch and him are facing each other as they sit. 

 

“Is this nightmare why you reacted to….heavily to Jadyn’s comment earlier?” Enoch nods, not even bothering to ask how Edward knew about that. 

 

“I just….I want to protect him. Keep him away from Edge. But he’s right! I can’t do that if he doesn’t even know what to be cautious of!” Enoch shouts in frustration while grabbing his brown hair. 

 

“I don’t know what to do anymore! I don’t want him any more involved than he is, but he needs to know things to survive and I just…..I don’t know anymore!” Edward nods his head while rubbing Enoch’s back. 

 

“It’s ok, Enoch. It’s your call. What you wish to reveal to Jadyn will remain under your control.” Edward whispers words and phrases of comfort while Enoch continues to stress about the predicament that he’s in. This lasts for about a good half hour before Enoch finally calms down enough to formulate sentences without yelling or crying out. 

 

“What do I do? I know you want me to make my own calls but….please Edward, I’m begging you, I need your council on this.” Hearing anyone beg has always been hard to resist for Edward. In this case, it’s worse because it’s Enoch, the last person you think you’d ever hear begging. Edward doesn’t take long to answer to this plea. 

 

“You need to tell Jadyn more about Edge. I mean things like his real name, when his obsession started, and your personal experience with his hunts. You don’t need to tell all these things right away or at the same time, but you need to tell them some time soon.  Understanding Alex’s thinking process and hunting habits on a more in debt level will help Jadyn.” Enoch nods. The fact that Edge’s real name was used helps emphasizing how serious Edward is right now. More than any tone will ever emphasize, at least. 

 

“Alright. I will.” Edward nods and pats Enoch’s back.

 

“Good, good. You’ll see, this will make things better. You’ll get to let everything out and Jadyn will get his answers. You guys may even be able to repair your damaged friendship.” Enoch bites his lip and looks up. He’s wanted nothing more than to fix his and Jadyn’s relationship. The worry about Jadyn’s safety has always got in the way though. Now, it won’t .The truth’s coming out. Soon. 

 

“I think that would be good.” Edward nods and hugs Enoch when the latter allows a real smile to grace his lips. One of the first that’s been seen on Enoch’s face in years. 

 

“You’ve got this, Enoch. Just be honest, that’s all that matters. I doubt Jadyn will-” The door to Enoch’s office bursts open, a panting Leah in the doorway. 

 

“Chief! Enoch!” Edward whips around while Enoch slams his hand down on his desk. 

 

“Leah, what’s wrong?” Leah gestures with her hand for Edward and Enoch to follow her. The three speed walk to the exit to avoid crashing into people or desks along the way. 

 

“The team scouting the hiking trail called and requested backup. Edge was spotted and killed a junior officer. Jadyn rushed out and told me to get the medical ward ready. I didn’t know he didn’t tell you guys. ” Enoch gulped at that. It’s been about two hours since Edward had come into his office. Just enough time for…..oh no.  

 


	6. Chapter 4

**Jadyn POV:**

“Dammit!” I grunt as I lean against the tree. The footsteps of my pursuer echoing through the forest. As soon as I got here, about three officers had greeted me before taking to the location of a now dead officer. I only managed to call in and alert Leah before some rustling was heard. All I remember after that was shouting at the junior officers to leave while I led our attacker away. Which is how I find myself now, hiding behind a tree as whispered coos and taunts flow in the air. 

 

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” I growl lowly in my throat and prepare my gun. I left the airhorn and the extra cuffs at the office, so the only things  have on me are my gun, the taser, and the knives hidden in my belt. Wonderful. 

 

“Come on, this is getting boring. I want to play with you.” I shiver and shake my head. 

 

“Well, I don’t particularly wish to play with you, Edge.” I hear a chuckle before twigs snapping and leaves crunching draw my attention to the center of the field that my hunter and I are in. 

 

“Too bad.” I grind my teeth together as a paled skinned male comes to the center of the field. His eyes look crazy, yet his hair clean and well tamed. 

 

“Am I safe to assume that I have you to thank for the dead officer?” I steady my hand, finger ready to pull the trigger when another piles of leaves crunch under feet. 

 

“Why, of course. Who else?” I narrow my eyes and sneak a quick peek around the tree. Good . Edge’s back is to me, he’s convinced my voice is coming from the other side. 

 

“I’m not sure. But I do know this-” I quickly move from behind the tree, gun pointed at Edge. 

 

“You’re not killing anyone else today.” I start to walk forward, my movements careful and calculated. I know he knows I’m behind him. I don’t want to miss any movements he makes. 

 

“Oooh, really? No fun.” I’m about a foot away when I see the knife in his hand. Judging by the blood still dripping, I’d say I found the murder weapon.

 

“Drop the knife and hands in the air. Slowly.” I step back when he holds the knife out to the side before stepping forward again when he drops it. 

 

“Kick it away.” I continue to move closer to his back as he obeys my order. 

 

“So, do I get the name of my capturer?” I scoff quietly as I grab one o his wrists and pin it behind his back. Since my cuffs fell off my belt during the run, I can only pin his arm back and hope that Leah got some help. 

 

“My name is none of your concern.” I lead Edge towards a tree and push his front against it as he laughs. It’s as if I made the funniest joke in the world or something. 

 

“Oh, but it is. You see, I suspected that out of all of the officers, McCarthy would be the one to catch me.” I raise an eyebrow. What does Enoch have to do with this? 

 

“Is that so?” I tighten my grip when Edge’s head tilts back as he laughs. 

 

“Why, yes. He’s been hunting me for years, you know.” I tilt my head and push him back to the tree harshly when he starts to lean his weight back onto me. 

 

“Actually, I don’t. Care to explain?” I’m probably taking a risk here. But at the same time, if he answers me, I could probably get some useful info. Handy for the future. 

 

“Well, it was a long time ago. But McCarthy has been my prey before. He even gave me a scar when he escaped!” I gasp at that. Why has Enoch been hiding that? 

 

“And now that I’ve revealed something about myself, why don’t you tell me something about yourself? It’s only fair, you know. You know something, I know something.” I shake my head to regain focus. Interrogate Enoch later. Deal with Edge now. Focus. 

 

“I never said I’d tell you anything after you answered my question. Therefor, I’m under no obligation.” I narrow my eyes when that crazy sounding laugh reaches my ears again. I swear, he’s like the Joker from Batman. 

 

“Oh, then I suppose I should change that.” I don’t understand what he means until he moves. He kicks a leg between the two of mine before hooking my ankle with his foot. The pull of his foot and the weight of his body pushing back has me falling, no matter how much I try to stay upright.

 

The wind’s knocked out of me when he lands on top. My recovery time is all he needs to grab my gun from the holster and throw it to the side. When I attempt to grab it, he grabs my wrist and pins it above my head. Trying to push his shoulder away only gives him the opportunity to grab my other wrist and pin it down as well. Great. Now I’ve got both of my wrists pinned above my head and a psychotic serial killer running his fingers over my cheek. 

 

“Let go!” I growl and attempt to buck up. The only response I get is a laugh before he starts to coo at me. I shiver at his tone. Oh god, it’s so creepy. 

 

“Nooooo. I want to have my fun first.” I growl again and continue to struggle. Before more can be said, on either of our parts, a gunshot goes off. We both freeze as an angry (angry as hell, to be specific) voice calls out. 

 

“Off, now!” I gulp and crane my neck up a bit. Doing this puts my face closer to Edge’s, but I can’t bring myself to care about that detail much right right now.

 

Standing a good 30ft away from us is Enoch McCarthy, followed by Leah and Edward. He’s holding his gun down, probably shot the ground to grab our attention. Behind him, Edward and Leah are staring at us, looking to me with worry and to Edge with a challenging gaze. As if daring him to do something. Probably not going to happen. 

 

“I’ll say this one more time: off!” I wince at the volume of Enoch’s voice. The area we’re in causes an echo, making it a bit scarier. 

 

“But Enooooooch! I was in the middle of hunting!” I scoff quietly. Edge reminds me of those little dolls that you’d see in horror movies. They try to sound and appear innocent, like something that could never and would never hurt you. Though they come out as creepy and untrustworthy. That’s not the only thing that catches my attention. 

 

“Officer EM….you were after Enoch all along!” I growl out and try to buck up again. I get a sadistic looking smile in response to my statement. 

 

“Awwww, so you did get my notes! Perfect!” I growl again and manage to bring my knee up a bit. I push it against Edge’s chest and use the momentary distraction to pull my hands out of his grip and back roll up. Now, Edge’s sitting on the floor while I’m standing in a fighting stance.

 

“Jadyn, here, now!” I grunt and quickly jump over Edge to get to Enoch and the others. When I’m close enough, my arm gets pulled forward before I’m pushed into Edward, who shields me from Edge’s view. 

 

“Guys-” I’m interrupted by Leah shushing me. Focusing forward again, I realize why. Enoch’s still pointing his gun to the ground, but his tense posture suggests that he’s prepared to raise it at any given moment. He needs to focus for any movement an if I continue to speak, I may break that focus. 

 

Edge is still sitting on the ground, staring at Enoch with a crazed look. There’s a bit of anger as well, but it’s mostly crazy. I wonder….. if I could see Enoch’s eyes, would they hold the same amounts of emotion as they used to? Or would they be blank? Like they are now. My thoughts are interrupted when Enoch speaks again. 

 

“It’s over, Edge. There are four armed police here and you don’t have a weapon anymore. Give up, you are beaten already.” I glance nervously at Leah. Trying to tempt Edge doesn’t seem like a good idea. Besides, just because he doesn’t have a weapon doesn’t mean he’s not still dangerous. He’s eluded us for so long for a reason. 

 

“Oh dear Enoch, you’ll only catch me when I want you to catch me.” My eyes narrow a bit at Edge’s tone. It’s not the like the creepy, playful tone he used with me. Now, it’s challenging and arrogant. Really makes me want to stab him. 

 

“Alex Peterson, you’re under arrest for the murders you’ve been committing for the last 13 years. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. In the event that you cannot afford one, the court will provide one for you.” I don’t take my eyes off of ‘Alex’ as Edward steps forward. There’s no struggle or attempt to run. Alex just stays seated until Edward pulls him up and buckles the cuffs on. 

 

“Do you understand these rights that I have given you?” I move to stand more beside Leah rather than behind her when Edward asks. Alex, in return, only nods with a wink my way and a dangerous smirk Enoch’s way. 

 

“Jayn? Jadyn! You ok?” I gasp and look over to Leah. She’s biting her bottom lip and shaking me gently. How long has she been trying to get my attention? 

 

“Jadyn, are you ok?” I nod my head.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry too much about me.” She looks hesitant, but nods either way. She starts to pull me away from the field, after Edward, when I make eye contact with Enoch. I gulp as I see the look of restrained fury in them. If that fury’s directed at me, then I’m dead. Figuratively and literally. 

 

“Jadyn, come on. Edward’s taking Alex in a separate car, with about three other officers in with him. You and I are going back to the station in Enoch’s car.” Great idea. Put me next to my potential murderer. Wonderful. 

 

When the three of us reach the entrance to the hiking trail, I briefly scan the group ahead of us. Chief’s talking with some other officers, probably regarding Edge’s capture and current containment. An ambulance has also arrived and appears to be taking the body of the dead officer inside. Probably for an autopsy and making arrangements for a proper burial. I don’t have long to dwell on that thought before I’m being pushed into the car by Enoch. 

 

The car ride back is short, not that I expected anyone to say anything. When we make it back, I quickly get out and attempt to speed walk into the building. If I can get inside before Enoch, then I can find a room to lock myself in. Unfortunately, that idea goes down the drain after taking about three steps. 

 

“Enoch! Wait! Be careful with Jadyn!” I wince at the combination of Enoch’s unforgiving grip and Leah’s worried/scared voice. I decide to not fight as he drags me inside and pray that I make it out of this alive and not scarred. 

 

“Enoch! Wait!” I look back as Leah jogs towards us and bite my bottom lip. While getting out of this situation would be great, I don’t want Leah and Enoch to fight. Not after what just happened in the forest. Not now. 

 

“Leah, it’s fine. I’m confident Enoch and I can talk this out.” I yelp out my last word. Since I slowed in my walking, I slowed Enoch down as well. The squeeze was probably a harsh reminder that we still need to talk.

 

I throw a quick glare Enoch’s way before turning back and smiling at Leah. She still looks hesitant, so I sigh and gesture with my head that she needs to leave. It takes a while, but eventually the message gets through. As I continue to be dragged to wherever Enoch wants to have this talk, Leah walks the other direction, wishing me luck before disappearing through the doors. Looking forward, I see that Enoch;s dragging me towards the archives. Huh,why there? 

 

When we reach the room, he throws the door open before dragging me in. I look back and wince as the hinges creak at the harsh treatment. The nervous feeling in my stomach suddenly halts when my wrist is finally released. Though that only lasts for about a minute. 

 

“What were you thinking?!” I flinch and look down as Enoch shouts. Once again, the room provides an echo. His voice sounds louder and the echo adds a an almost scary effect. 

 

“Jadyn.” My eyes snap up at Enoch’s warning tone. To play safe, I raise my hands slowly while taking a step back. Soon, one step turns to two as he starts advancing on me. 

 

“Enoch, I just-” I gulp as Enoch violently shakes his head. 

 

“Why didn’t you come to Edward’s or my office when that call came in?! What in God’s name prompted you to go face Edge alone?!” I gasp at that. What prompted me to-?

 

“It’s not like that was planned! I rushed out and thought that Leah would go find you once she was done with the medical ward!” I slap my hand over my mouth like that. Uh oh. What if I just got Leah in trouble? Oh, that’s not good…..

 

“Oh, she did come tell us, Jadyn. A good portion of time after you left!” I shake my head and freeze in fear when my back hits the wall. Crap. I’m trapped.

 

“She told us that you had rushed out and had given her the instructions to only prepare the medical ward. Then, when we get out to the hiking trail and find you, you’re alone with Edge sitting on top of you. On that note, what were you thinking?! Drawing Edge to you?! You don’t even have your handcuffs!” I flinch when one of Enoch’s hands slam against the wall next to my head. But I can’t help but feel a bit angry as he yells at me. I get that he’s worried, but it feels like he’s belittling me again.

 

“I was thinking about making sure that the junior officers with me had a shot at getting to safety.” I narrow my eyes as I answer. 

 

“The junior officers with you had guns, Jadyn. Just like you did. It wouldn't of made that much of a difference if you stayed together.” My glare probably loses a bit of its harshness, but I refuse to admit that Enoch’s right to his face.

 

“Look, Enoch, I’m sorry. Ok? I get what you’re saying, I should’ve gotten Edward and you first. I get it. Now can you please release me?” During our exchange, Enoch’s arms have set themselves on each side of my head and caged me in.  

 

“You-! Do you have any idea how….how…..how scared I was?!” My eyes widen at Enoch’s confession. Since when does anything I do scare him? 

 

“You were alone, Jadyn. Alone. In Edge’s hunting ground. With Edge himself! And Edward and I didn’t even know until you were already being chased down!” I attempt not to move as Enoch slowly starts to break down in front of me. 

 

As he continues to ask me questions, and swear a bit more, tears start to form in his eyes. When they fall, he doesn’t even attempt to stop them. Oh no, this reminds me of when Carl died. 

 

“Enoch, Enoch, Enoch…..” I chant his name as I bring my hands up to cup his cheeks. When he’s like this, only physical contact can really get to him. Words go in one ear and out the other. A fact that I haven’t forgotten, no matter how angry or distant I’ve been with him in the past. 

 

“Why would you do that to me, Jadyn?! Why would you-?!” I shush him gently before stroking the skin of his cheeks with my thumb, brushing some tears aside. 

 

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to cause you any distress.” I sigh and bring Enoch’s face to my shoulder for an awkward hug as he continues to choke on sobs. 

 

“I wasn’t-I wouldn’t of been able to-” I shush Enoch and wrap my arms around his waist as he continues to quietly sob into my shoulder. 

 

Maybe today, or even anytime next week, would be a terrible time to confront him about what Edge told me. Even though I really want answers. 

 

“Enoch, you need to breathe, buddy. You need to breathe.” I start to coo as I feel his body lessen in shakes and twitches. 

 

“That’s it. Come on, buddy. Breathe.” I begin to rub Enoch’s back before shushing him when he starts to speak again. 

 

“Not yet, Enoch. Calm down first. Then, we’ll talk.” I feel his head nod into my shoulder.

 


	7. Chapter 5

Jadyn leads Enoch to the only table in the room before encouraging the latter to sit on it. It takes a few moments since Enoch’s still shaking and refusing to let go of Jadyn, but eventually, it gets done and the talk begins. 

 

“Enoch, I didn’t mean to leave you and Edward out of the loop. I just panicked when we got the call from the scout team.” Enoch only offers a shaky sounding sigh in response In an attempt to give his partner space, Jadyn begins to retract his hand from Enoch’s face. He’s stopped when one of Enoch’s hands shoot up and cover his, holding his hand against his cheek. 

 

“I could’ve been too late, Jadyn. You could’ve been hurt.” Jadyn lowers his head as Enoch whimpers. 

 

There’s some light irritation at the implication that Jadyn couldn’t defend himself, but the worry stomps that feeling down. 

 

“But I’m not, Enoch. I’m not because you found me in time.” Jadyn blushes a bit at the awkward attempt at comforting. 

 

“And if I hadn’t, Jadyn? What would’ve happened if Edward and I were too late? What would any of us have done then?” Enoch glares at the ground while Jadyn continues to wipe some of the remaining tears off his cheeks. 

 

“I-you know the answer to that.” Enoch grunts before grabbing Jadyn’s other hand and squeezing both of them harshly. 

 

“Exactly.” Jadyn whimpers a bit at the rough squeeze but wills himself to call down as to not trigger any more mood swings on Enoch’s part. 

 

They sit in silence after that, Jadyn watching Enoch and Enoch glaring at the ground. Occasionally, Jadyn will try and gauge Enoch’s current move, but stops when Enoch refuses to answer any questions. About 15mins pass by before Enoch sighs loudly and looks up at Jadyn. 

 

“Did Alex tell you anything before we found you?” Jadyn nods his head while looking at the ground. He can’t handle looking into Enoch’s eyes right now.

 

“Yeah, he told me some things. Not much, mind you. Also, using his first name from now on?” Enoch tilts his head at Jadyn’s attempt to sound dismissive and shrugs at Jadyn’s question. 

 

“Why not, we all know for sure now. But that’s besides the point. What did he tell you?” Jadyn looks unsure as Enoch pries further. Should he really say or would that just get Enoch mad at him again? 

 

At the look of hesitance and small amount of fear in Jadyn’s eyes, Enoch groans before shaking his head. To try and soothe his partner, Enoch releases hi hands and places one of his own on Jadyn’s shoulder. He hopes the gentle squeeze he gives the limb can be considered a comforting gesture. 

 

“Jadyn, I won’t get mad at anything you say. I promise.” Jadyn still looks hesitant, but regards Enoch’s facial expression and tone. 

 

The blank (sometimes dead) look in his eyes aren't there. Instead, they’re wary and curious. His tone implies exhaustion, but his voice is still strong. With that in mind, Jadyn nods his head before looking at the wall behind Enoch. 

 

“Alex just told me that you and him have had past….encounters, I’ll say.” Jadyn chooses his words carefully. Despite the promise, Jadyn doesn’t completely trust Enoch to take the sudden reveal with monk level calmness. 

 

“He said that you’ve been after him for the longest of time, not much of a surprise, and that you also gave him his scar.” Jadyn pauses there and waits. 

 

Enoch, in turn, continues to stare at Jadyn. His posture is a mix between tense and relaxed, though that could be because he’s trying to force himself to relax. His eyes still suggest the feeling of weariness, though the curiosity’s gone. Several moments pass by before he speaks. 

 

“Yeah, that’s right.” Jadyn barely stops himself from visibly jumping at the shock and suddenness of the admittance. 

 

“I-uh-I kind of….figured, you know? I mean, yes granted, Alex is a murderer, so who knows when he’s telling the truth? But I didn’t think he lied about that. Especially not when…..the notes came to mind.” Enoch nods his head and moves off the table so he’s standing in front of Jadyn. 

 

“So, you brought them up then?” Jadyn shrugs, forgetting his momentary feeling of panic. 

 

“Not really. Just, when he told me he thought you’d be the one to catch him, I put the pieces together in my head. Seems those murders were to draw you out.” Enoch regards Jadyn’s explanation with a tight lipped frown before nodding his head. 

 

“Understandable.” Jadyn waits for ENoch to say more and finally meets his partner’s eyes when silence is all that remains in the room. 

 

“So, you’re not the least bit concerned with the fact that he’s been hunting you all these years?” Now that the topic of Jadyn almost losing his life is gone, a more important discussion could be had. 

 

“What do you mean?” Jadyn looks at Enoch with a face that screams: ‘What do you mean, really?’ 

 

“I mean, I just told you that all of these murders were only used as bait. To get you out in the open so he could kill you. You seem to be taking this news quite well.” Jadyn narrows his eyes lightly as he crosses his arms and cocks out his hip. 

 

“Like I confirmed, Jadyn, Alex and I have had past encounters. I was a victim that got away. He wasn’t just going to let go of that. Especially not after I scarred him.” Jadyn cocks his head to the side as Enoch explains himself. 

 

A few more minutes pass as Enoch explains all the reasons why Alex/Edge would come after him. During that time, information that Jadyn’s been asking about for the past few years is revealed. Information regarding Enoch’s past and Alex’s obsession with death and the hunt. 

 

“Alright, now that I understand that, another question comes to mind: why not try and use the fact that he wants to get to you against him?” Enochs’ eyes widen at that. A new sight for Jadyn. 

 

“Well, a few reasons, actually.” Jadyn raises a brow as Enoch scratched the back of his head. 

 

“Alright, start with the first.” Jadyn’s offer is met with an unimpressed stare. Not that it does much.

 

“Very helpful. Anyway, the main reason I didn’t attempt to contact him was, well….someone was stopping me.” Jadyn squints at that. Since when did Enoch let anyone tell him what to do? Even Edward couldn’t do that. 

 

“Oh? And why was someone trying to stop you from solving a series of murder cases?” If someone was trying to interfere, then that might mean that Alex has an accomplice. Unlikely, since Alex seems to prefer working alone, but not impossible. 

 

“They weren’t….purposefully stopping me. More like, they were accidently…?” Jadyn brings a hand up to rub his temple. 

 

“Enoch, how does someone accidently stop you from investigating a murder?” Enoch looks down and wrings his hands. When he doesn’t answer, Jadyn sighs and asks again. This time, with a pleading tone as opposed to an annoyed one. It’s what has Enoch confessing another fact. 

 

“It was you, ok? I didn’t contact Alex because that could put you in danger.” Jadyn opens his mouth to respond, only to snap it shut a moment later. What? Come again? 

 

“Enoch, care to repeat that?” The curiosity and confusion in Jadyn’s tone is the only reason Enoch doesn’t glare at the older man. 

 

“You heard me. If I had managed to make contact with Alex, then that would’ve further exposed you. Also, there’s a big chance he would’ve detected it if we attempted to set a trap.” At Jadyn’s confused as ever expression, Enoch explains a bit more. 

 

“Jadyn, Alex didn’t know where I was. If I didn’t want to become a pawn to his game, I had to bring him to me. In doing so, I would’ve revealed you and Leah. That wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.” Jadyn nods his head slowly while thinking back to his encounter with Alex in the forest. 

 

Alex didn’t know his name. Surprising at first, though now it makes sense. Alex only knew of Enoch’s position in the detectives. To Alex, there was no need to know who Jadyn and Leah were, and everyone just knew that Edward was the chief of police since it wasn’t a secret. 

 

“Ok, so you didn’t want to expose Leah or I. I get that part. What I still don’t get is why you hid this from me for so long. We could’ve come up with a more effective plan.” Enoch raises an eyebrow at Jadyn’s statement.

 

“That’s easy to answer: you would’ve tried to be a shield.” Jadyn uncrosses his arms and places his hands on his hips. 

 

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Enoch sighs at Jadyn’s upset tone. That wasn’t supposed to be offensive or anything like that. 

 

“What I mean, Jadyn, is that you would’ve done anything to keep me away from Alex and take Leah as your partner. Just so I wouldn’t be in the field. I wasn’t willing to risk that.” Jadyn tilts his head at Enoch’s determined gaze. 

 

Yes, Jadyn did have a habit of being a shield. He wanted to protect anything and anybody from the pain and cruelties in life. But did that really warrant being pushed away and kept out of the loop this entire time? 

 

“So you hid things from me and pushed me away because you didn’t want me involved?” For once, Enoch allows the guilt he feels to be seen.

 

“I’m sorry, really, I am. But Jadyn, please understand, I wasn’t willing to risk your safety-” Jadyn holds up his hand to stop Enoch from talking. 

 

“I know, you said.” Jadyn releases a breath before looking at Enoch with a less anger and more sadness. 

 

“I’m going to be honest, I’m so angry with you right now. I can’t believe you thought that keeping things like this from me would keep me safer! But, I can understand why you did it. Your desire to keep Leah and I out of Alex’s line of sight was stronger than the rationale part of your mind.” Enoch flinches a bit at Jadyn snaps lightly but leans a bit closer when his partner calms down. 

 

“So…..what does that mean?” Jadyn bites his bottom lip and look at the ground. A few moments pass before he look up at Enoch. 

 

“It means….that I’m not so angry anymore.” Jadyn giggles quietly at the confused look on Enoch’s face. 

 

“Huh?” Jadyn sighs before reaching out and grabbing Enoch’s arm and pulling. Because Enoch doesn’t resist, Jadyn quickly wraps his arms around Enoch’s waist and hugs him. Just like how he used to. 

 

“I spent all of these years being angry with you. Hating the fact that you pushed me away like you did, hating the fact that you never seemed to care about what that did to me, almost hating you.” Enoch gasps at that, causing Jadyn to hold on a bit tighter. 

 

“I almost let myself hate you. Don’t ask me why it’s almost, I still haven’t found that out yet.” Enoch chuckles and wraps his arms around Jadyn’s neck to hug back. 

 

“I doubt you’d be able hate anyone. It’s not how you are.” Jadyn sighs into Enoch’s shoulder before nodding his head. 

 

“You’re probably right.” Pulling back, Jadyn makes sure that Enoch and him have eye contact before continuing to speak. 

 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m still quite upset with you.” Enoch nods his head, a sad look filling his eyes. 

 

“That’s fair. Just, know that I truly am sorry.” Jadyn nods his head before grabbing Enoch’s hand and rubbing the knuckles. 

 

“I don’t want to hold onto all of these negative feelings towards you any longer. I like it when we were friends. When we trusted each other.” Enoch recoils at that. How could Jadyn think that Enoch didn’t trust him now? 

 

“Jadyn, I’ve always trusted you. It’s Alex I didn’t trust.” Jadyn sighs before giving Enoch a sad look of his own. 

 

“Enoch, the lengths you went to in order to keep me out of this says otherwise. I have no doubt that I have some of your trust, but not enough if you couldn’t tell me the truth.” Enoch stares at Jadyn for a few moments before shutting his eyes and nodding his head. 

 

“I’m sorry.” At Enoch’s motion to move away, Jadyn quickly elaborates. 

 

“I’m not saying that I don’t want to try and fix this. I do, I miss you.” Enoch risks a glance up and sees Jadyn smiling encouragingly at him. 

 

“I miss you too.” Enoch’s voice is quiet and shaky, but the words reach Jadyn’s ears anyway. 

 

The two share one more hug before Jadyn gently grabs Enoch’s hand and leads him out of the room. 

 

“Come on. We should probably talk to Leah and Edward. Just to prove that you didn’t kill me.” Enoch snorts at Jadyn’s joke, allowing the older boy to pull him. 

 


	8. Chapter 6

When the two reach Edward’s office, there’s no words spoken. Just Edward staring at the two with an uncertain look. It’s Enoch that eventually breaks the tension. 

 

“Hey chief.” Edward shakes his head to regain some sense before smiling gently at the calm tone. 

 

“Hello. I see that you’re still walking, Jadyn.” Jadyn giggles, a sound that has Enoch blushing lightly, before nodding and gesturing to Enoch with his head. 

 

“Don’t worry. Big guy wouldn’t actually try to hurt me.” Edward raises a brow with a smile on his face while Enoch sighs and pinches his nose. Fondly though, there’s no annoyance or embarrassment on Enoch’s features. 

 

“The fact that you got away with calling Enoch anything other than his name without him snapping at you suggests that you two made up.” Jadyn nods while gently squeezing Enoch’s hand. 

 

“Indeed.” Silence follows for a few moments after before Enoch clears his throat and looks up at the chief. 

 

“Can you call Leah in here please? I need to speak to her.” Jadyn sends Enoch a confused look while Edward nods and reaches for his phone. A quick text is sent on Edward’s part before he gestures for the two boys to sit down. 

 

About five minutes pass before Leah quickly opens and shuts the door. Her eyes immediately looking to Jadyn in relief, before moving onto Enoch. There’s no anger in her eyes, but there is a wary and almost upset aura surrounding her form. 

 

“Jadyn, Enoch.” Jadyn sends Leah a smile while Enoch nods his head. 

 

“Leah, please, pull up a chair.” Leah nods before grabbing the chair next to the door and placing it next to Jadyn. 

 

“What did you need, chief?” Edward miles encouragingly at Enoch before addressing Leah. 

 

“Actually, Leah, Enoch wished to speak with you and figured that it’d be easier if I was present.” Leah shoots a confused look Jayn’s way, only for Jadyn to send her back one of his own. 

 

Shrugging, Lean leans forward and looks around Jadyn. When Epoch looks at her, she’s almost intimidated with how he stares straight into her eyes. No blank stare, no dead look, but instead there’s determination. It spikes Leah’s curiosity. 

 

“Leah, I just wanted to…..apologize for my behavior of the past few years. I caused a lot of tension that you were pulled into and I just wished to apologize for that.” Leah’s eyes widen. Enoch’s apologizing? To her? What? 

 

“Why are you apologizing for that?” Enoch sighs before leaning into Jadyn for support and comfort. 

 

“Because it’s necessary. My actions caused a lot of unnecessary drama that you got pulled into. Time and energy was wasted because of what I did.” Leah loos to Enoch incedulously before furrowing her brows and shaking her head. 

 

“Enoch, that’s not how it was. Sure, some of what you did was totally uncool, but in hindsight it wasn’t the worst. The energy and time I spent comforting Jadyn or worrying over you wasn’t wasted since I chose to do it.” Enoch breaths in before nodding his head and closing his eyes, turning so his face is in Jadyn’s shoulder. The amount of emotion being stirred up is a bit overwhelming. 

 

“As long as you apologized to Jadyn and try not to scare us like that again, then everything’s ok between us. Promise.” Before Enoch can remove his face from Jadyn’s shoulder to answer, Jadyn stops him. A hand gently presses the back of Enoch’s head as a gesture of comfort as Jadyn speaks. 

 

“He apologized. More than once.” Leah hums at that before standing up and walking behind Enoch’s chair. She places a gentle hand atop his shoulder before squeezing. 

 

“Then we’re all good Enoch.” Leah pats his shoulder before going back to her seat and sending Jadyn a wink. An action that earns her a playful glare and Jadyn sticking his tongue out at her. 

 

“Wonderful. I’m glad that you three have made up now. It’s good to have my three best detectives working with each other as opposed to against each other.” Leah and Jadyn nod while Enoch looks up and hums. 

 

“So, now that we’ve discussed that, what do we do about Alex?” Edward waves his hand while leaning back a bit. All the leaning forward has caused his back to cramp up a bit. 

 

“Well, at this moment, we’ve got him in one of our holding cells. Two officers are watching him, so we don’t have to worry too much about that right now.” Jadyn squeezes Enoch’s hand as the younger’s boy’s expression hardens a bit at that. 

 

“I called the judge assigned to his case and discussed what exactly would happen.” Leah’s eyes widen as she frowns. 

 

“They’re not seriously thinking about putting him a trial, are they? He already confessed to committing the murders, we have one of his victims as a witness.” Leah points to Enoch. 

 

“No, no, of course not. The judge actually recommended that we get him to a mental ward as quickly as possible. There’s no telling what trouble he’ll get into in a regular prison.” Leah calms at that and drops her arm. 

 

“Is he going to stay in the mental ward or is he going to be put to death?” Jadyn turns to Jadyn and smiles sadly. 

 

“Since he’s not competent to defend himself, not that it would matter that much in the end, he can’t be put to death. The judge sees it as inhumane.” At that, Enoch explodes, scaring Leah and Jadyn. 

 

“Inhumane?! We’re talking about a serial killer who kidnapped, tortured, and branded his victims! Putting him to death would be doing the public a favor.” Edward’s eyes widen at Enochs outburst while Jadyn shoots up and attempts to get his partner to sit back down. 

 

“Enoch, calm down. I get where you’re your coming from, but you need to calm down. This isn’t Edward’s call to make.” Moments filled with soothing words and encouragements eventually lead Enoch to sitting back down, glare and frown still in place. 

 

“Enoch, I understand your concern. Personally, I’m with you. However, we can’t argue with the judge right now. It may look like we have a biased with you since you were a victim.” Enoch considers this and, after a few minutes, breaths out to calm himself down. 

 

“I understand. I’m sorry.” Edward nods nervously. Enoch still sounds like he wants to shoot someone. 

 

“It’s alright. For now, I want you three to head home and try to get all of today’s stress out of your system. I’ll remain here for a few more hours to make the necessary arrangements for transporting Edge before heading home myself.” Jadyn nods and moves to stand but Enoch holds him down. 

 

“You’ll be staying here but want us to go home?” Jadyn flinches at Enoch’s tone while Leah rolls her eyes and shoots up. 

 

“Yep. And that’s what we’re going to do. Especially you.” Enoch looks to Leah questionably while Jadyn nods. 

 

“I agree. Come on, Enoch.” Enoch starts to protest as Jadyn puls him up, but ceases when he notices how his protest falls to deaf ears. 

 

Jadyn and Leah proceed to drag a grumbling Enoch to the car before stopping and letting his arms go. 

 

“Thanks. It was completely necessary for both of you to pull me out of the building.” Leah nods her head and pats Enoch’s shoulder while Jadyn giggles and nods. 

 

“Of course man. How else would we have gotten you out of there?” Enoch scoffs at Leah’s statement before placing a hand on her shoulder. 

 

“Get home safely. Have sweet dreams.” Leah blushes at Enoch’s caring tone before nodding and giving his shoulder a comforting pat. 

 

“No worries, Enoch. Take it easy tonight. Sweet dreams to you as well.” With that final wish, she wishes a goodnight to Jadyn before walking to her own vehicle. Leaving the two boys to their own devices. 

 

“Well, I suppose I should wish you a goodnight as well.” Enoch turns to face Jadyn, who’s blushing lightly. 

 

“If you wish.” Jadyn nods and looks down briefly before surging forward and wrapping his arms around Enoch’s waist. 

 

Under normal circumstances, Enoch would freeze up for a few moments before yelling about his space. But he forces himself to remain calm. This is Jadyn. His partner. His friend. The person who he fought with himself over to protect. The person who fights so hard to make sure he’s ok. Jadyn is safe. 

 

“Goodnight. Sweet dreams. Call me if you have any nightmares or can’t sleep.” Enoch hums before wrapping his arms and squeezing Jadyn tightly. 

 

“I couldn't interrupt your sleep.” Enoch mumbles to himself before chuckling at the light pinch his hip receives. 

 

“Fine.” Jadyn nods into Enoch’s shoulder before pulling back and waving as he walks away. 

 

Enoch watches him go before sighing and getting into his car. The drive home feels more...calm. When he reaches his house, he takes a quick shower before preparing a light dinner. 

 

The glass plate rattles against the granite counter as he chews with a thoughtful look in his face. Jadyn almost lost his life today. Or at least, he could’ve. Alex was caught and is now behind bars. Jadyn and him have made up. Leah and him have made up. It almost seems to perfect. 

 

Shaking his head, Enoch mumbles to himself that he just needs to be prepared. Everything will be fine as long as he’s prepared. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is technically something that I wrote years ago and never actually posted. So I just finished posting it today just for fun. I decided that leaving it open ended might be fun.


End file.
